Women of Promise

     It's been mentioned before, but the sad reality is that 66% percent of American young people who were regular church attendees leave the church between the ages of 18 and 22.  66%!!! That number brings me to tears! As a mother that can seem like I am facing a hopeless task as I seek to raise my children to have a relationship with Jesus that is vibrant and living.  Is it a foregone conclusion that our children will most likely leave the faith? How can parents and churches shift the current trend and produce young people who are bearing light in this dark world?  The good news is that we can raise godly children in a sinful world with confidence. God's Word is the manual and His promises never fail.  We will look at some practical ways that families and churches can lead our children to a strong, personal faith in Jesus.      Some of us don't have children currently.  Perhaps you are single, dating, just married, barren, or a gr...

Image source: simplyconvivial.com         The summer months are typically a break from the regular school schedule for my kiddos.  As a homeschooling mom with seven grades to prepare for, my summer is pretty full of lesson planning for the fall.  I have learned the hard way that the more I prepare ahead of time, the smoother the schoolyear goes for all of us.       Charlotte Mason was a Christian educator from England in the late 1800s who provided guidance and educational resources for parents and teachers.  Her books and methods have gained renewed following among homeschoolers and other educators in recent years, although they have been used for decades.  I often use one of her quotes as a motto to encourage my children to always do their best.  Sometimes I hang it on the wall where it is easily seen each day.  Sometimes I print it for the front of their notebooks.  It reminds them of who they are and whe...

    We frequently talk about Jesus as our Good Shepherd. Rightly so. He is the perfect Shepherd -- Our Guide, Protector, and Provider of every need.   But, Jesus is also portrayed in Scripture as the Lamb of God. Before Jesus ever went to the cross, He was identified. John the Baptist announces Him in John 1:29: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”     That was not just a poetic title. That was a prophetic declaration. John was not simply calling Jesus gentle or innocent. He was identifying Him as the Lamb. Not just any lamb. Not merely a symbol of meekness, although He perfectly exemplified these qualities. But The Lamb, the One to whom Passover had always pointed.   As John said those words, he was pointing both forward and backward. Forward to the cross. Backward to Exodus, to blood on doorposts, to judgment passing over, and to deliverance through sacrifice.      In Exodus 12, God gives Israel i...

    Leviticus 23, verses 1–3 gives us what feels like a preamble to its later content. Before God speaks of annual feasts, He begins with the weekly Sabbath. That is important. Before the celebrations, the pilgrimages, or the sacred seasons, He begins with rest.The Sabbath comes first.  That tells us something profound: Rest is not an afterthought in the life of God’s people. It is foundational. God did not give Sabbath as punishment. He gave it as a gift.    It was never meant to be a burden. It was meant to be merciful blessing. A day to step away from ordinary work and striving.A day to be restored.A day to remember that God is God, and we are not.    The Sabbath invites us to stop looking at our work and refocus on His. It reminds us that the world continues spinning without our constant effort.That is humbling,  and it is freeing.    For many of us this is difficult. Because stopping is difficult. There is always on...

     I absolutely love a good planner. Especially a pretty one with plenty of room to write things down. There is something calming to my soul for me to be able to see the patterns come to life as I write down the daily meal plan or the weekly activities.       There are three main places in the Torah where God lays out Israel’s religious calendar: Exodus 21–23 Leviticus 23 (and Numbers 28–29) Deuteronomy      Each one gives us a slightly different perspective on the same sacred calendar. In the same way the Gospels tell the same story of Christ from different angles, these passages show us the same sacred rhythm with different emphasis. One emphasizes covenant. One emphasizes worship and sacrifice. One emphasizes remembrance and obedience. Each unique emphasis gives us a fuller picture of His divine perspective.        Leviticus gives us the priestly perspective. It focuses especially on worship, offering...

        Do you like to work jigsaw puzzles? Growing up, my grandmother and mom loved to work large jigsaw puzzles. I’m talking 500, 750, 1000  piece puzzles. The week between Christmas and New Year was traditionally the time where we had a table devoted to a large puzzle. Inevitably, we would all be pulled into it at some point in the week. Sometimes we finished it, sometimes not. It was left out on the table and we would spend hours pouring over it. Gradually, the beautiful picture emerged, as the pieces came together.       What is the first step in putting the puzzle together? After pouring out some of the pieces, you first have to turn over the pieces to see the pattern on the front, right?       Our spiritual journey in understanding the Bible is similar to working a puzzle. We are gradually gaining a better understanding of the beautiful picture that will become increasingly more clear to us as we place ea...

     C.S. Lewis is quoted as saying that Psalm 19 was "the greatest poem in the Psalter, and one of the most beautiful lyrics in the world."  I am not a judge of literature, but I tend to agree with him! Have you read this Psalm recently? It is only 14 verses, and does not take long at all to read.  While it is very beautiful to read,  it is more than pretty words.  This short song draws our hearts to the Creator and His law, ultimately turning our hearts and minds to repentance and worship.  The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.               Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.                             There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard.                        ...